Home Hospital plan ramps up to ease pressure on emergency departments

As flu cases weigh heavily on the state’s health system, a new plan looks at treating patients at home with smartphone connections to doctors.

• Hospitals replace winter demand strategy with year-round surge plan
• SA flu toll hits 37 for 2019

South Australians would be treated for minor health conditions at home via videoconferences with medical professionals as part of an ambitious plan to help free up the state’s hospitals.

SA Health has ramped up its “Home Hospital” plan to keep vulnerable groups healthy, reduce bed block and eliminate ramping, asking would-be providers to send in their ideas.

The launch of the tender comes as flu cases continue to weigh heavily on the state’s health system.

The Health Department will host a briefing for potential providers this Friday at its Hindmarsh Square headquarters.

The project aims to keep vulnerable people healthy at home, and also treat sick people at home through connections to community providers including GPs, so they don’t become so ill they end up in hospital.

The project aims to treat sick people at home through connections to community providers including GPs. Picture: iStock

The Home Hospital plan, revealed by The Advertiser last month, will offer a range of “defined clinical services for specified diseases”.

The department has posted a “Request for Information” notice for potential providers, saying it wants specific programs to keep people as well as possible, and reduce their need to end up in hospital, by increasing options for healthcare at home.

“This will free up hospital beds for more acute patients who need them,” the notice states. Smartphones are part of the plan, as the care at home may include “using the individual’s personal devices or placing technology in the home for the duration of care”.

This may include doctors and nurses videoconferencing with people in their homes or care facilities to check on their health, rather than people falling so ill they need hospital care.

The plans may include doctors and nurses videoconferencing with people in their homes. Picture: iStock

As reported by The Advertiser, there are several trials under way, including one in the northern suburbs which has halved the number of visits to the Lyell McEwin Hospital emergency departments by regular visitors by 156 instances.

Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade said: “The pilots have shown that community-based acute care is embraced by patients and delivers high quality, sustainable care.

“We are looking to develop hospital-level care in the community on a much wider scale. We hope to create around 200 community beds by 2021-2022.”

Health Minister Stephen Wade said the government hoped to create around 200 community beds by 2021-2022. Picture: AAP / Kelly Barnes

The move comes as the toll for the state’s deadly flu season continues to grow.

Flu has claimed the lives of two more South Australians, lifting the 2019 toll to 37 as the state enters winter. So far this year there have been 16,767 confirmed cases, a jump of 1119 cases in a week. The 16,000-plus cases compares to 1428 in the same period for 2018.

Health authorities continue to urge people to get vaccinated against the flu, both for their own health and to prevent it being passed on to vulnerable groups including the elderly.

The vast majority of deaths so far this year have been among elderly people, and around 70 nursing homes remain in lockdown to prevent residents catching it from any visitors.

Documents outlining the Government’s vision for the Home Hospital plan show the key outcomes sought include:

INCREASED patient flow out of hospitals and into the community.

A REDUCTION in avoidable presentations and admissions to hospital.

A REDUCTION in hospital stay and improved patient satisfaction.

Potential providers will have to show they have the “staff, organisation, culture, financial resources and market provisioning to ensure their ongoing ability to deliver and support the proposal”.